A group of west-side residents and business owners will kick off a multimedia campaign Thursday that encourages people to give money to charities rather than to panhandlers.

The Avenue Task Force has been working on the campaign for more than a year with El Paso County and the cities of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs.

The campaign is part of a larger effort to make the Avenue, also known as No Man’s Land, a better place to live and do business.

The kick-off will be at 10:30 a.m. at the Red Rock Shopping Center on the southwest corner of 31st Street and West Colorado Avenue.

Several city and county officials are expected to attend the event, including El Paso County Commissioner Sallie Clark and Colorado Springs City Council President Pro Tem Merv Bennett.